Sheet-metal-beading machine.



H. METZ & E. J. 'BOWLES.

SHEET METAL BEADING MACHINE.

APPLICATION TILED AUG. 11, 1910.

7 1,039,776. v Patented 0@t. 1,1912.

3 SHEET SSHEET l.

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\H N Q g N -\'LQ g 1 81* Q pi K m I m B to N 5 Q Witnesses Inventor-s COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cm, WASHINGTON, D. c.

H. METZ & E. J. BOWLBS.

SHEET METAL READING MACHINE.) APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11, 1910.

1,039,776, 7 Patented Oct. 1,1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Witnesses [Tavern/to 7'8.

' Attorney COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CD-JVASHINCITON. D. c.

H. METZ & E. J. BOWLES.

SHEET METAL BBADING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11, 1910.

1,039,776, Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

O & "A Q L N Lg G 1 Vitnesses Inventors.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0, WASHINGTON, D. C

UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

HERMAN METZ AND EDWARD J. BOWLES, OF CLINTON, ILLINOIS.

SHEET-METAL-BEADING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

Application filed August 11, 1910. Serial No. 576,766.

tion of the invention, such as will enable; others skilled 1n the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Thls lnventlon relates to certain 1mprove ments in machines for beading or turning:

the edges of sheet metal; and the objects and nature of our invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation of the accompanying drawings lllustrating what we now consider our preferred embodiment from other formations and arrangements within the spirit and scope of our invention.

An object of the invention is to provide, certam improvements in beadlng machmes.

whereby an efficient and durable apparatus will be produced capable of operating on both light and heavy sheet metals.

A further object of the invention is to provide certain improvements in formation and arrangement of parts whereby a highly ellicient and improved beading machine will be produced.

The invention consists in certain novel' features in constructlon and 1n combmatlons and arrangements of parts as more fully and particularly described and pointed out hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings;Figure 1, is a top plan view of the machine. Fig. 2, is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of one end portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 8, is an end view of the machine with the beader rod or mandrel removed. Fig. 4, is a detail plan view of a portion of the beader rod. Fig.

5, is a sectional view in the plane of the line thereof and handles 31, for rotating said shaft. The two end crank handles 31, are

usually arranged projecting radially in opposite directions from the shaft, although we do not wish to so limit our invention. At its front longitudinal edge the bed 1, is provided with a vertical portion 10, rising therefrom and rigid therewith and arranged longitudinally throughout the length there-- of and forming the fixed or stationary member of the die or bead forming trough or cylinder. The opposite or cooperating die member or section is formed by a longitudinal bar 11, parallel with the fixed member 10, and arranged on and longitudinally of the top face of the bed 1, and at the rear edge or side of the member 10. The upper portion of the rear side or face of the member 10, is concave or recessed to form one half of the bead forming trough or cylinder a, while the front longitudinal side or face of the movable die member 11, is formed by convexing or recessing to register with. the correspondingly formed portion of the member 10, and cooperate therewith in forming the complete trough or cylinder 05. The members 10, and 11 interlock below the trough a, to prevent independent or relative vertical movement, and yet so as to permit horizontal movement or adjustment of the member 11, toward and from the member 10. To permit this interlocking of the members 10 and 11, we show the rear face of the member 10, formed with a longitudinal groove or depressed seat 12 receiving the longitudinal rib or projection 13, of the member 11.

The adjustable or movable die member 11, is normally held to the fixed die member 10, by any suitable means. For instance, we show bolts 4, arranged transversely of and above the bed 1, and below the shaft 3, and passing loosely and transversely through the movable member 11, and transversely through the fixed member 10, and having their heads at the front edge of the fixed member 10. Wheel nuts 40, are adjustable on the rear threaded ends of these bolts 4, and spacing sleeves 41, are interposed be tween the nuts 40, and the rear face of the movable member 11 so that the movable member 11, is locked or clamped in operative position with respect to the fixed member 10, by the longitudinally movable sleeves 41, abutting the nuts 40, and the movable die member. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, that by unscrewing or loosening the nuts 40, the movable die member can he moved away from the fixed die member, the movable die member during this movement sliding on the bolts and top face of the bed.

5, is the removable header rod or mandrel having the longitudinal groove 50, to receive the edge of the sheet to be headed. This rod extends longitudinally through the trough a, and is movable longitudinally thereinto and therefrom through an end thereof. The eX- tended ends of this header rod are provided with gears 51, 52, adapted to mesh with the pinions 30, of the drive shaft 3, whereby the header rod is rotated. The gear 52 is removable to permit insertion of the header rod in the trough as well as to permit its removal therefrom.

The head forming trough a, has a longitudinal top throat or entrance opening I), and this throat is arranged in front of, or to one side of, the longitudinal axis or center line of the trough so that the movable die member 11, is formed with a top over hang 110, above said trough and terminating at said throat 6, while the fixed die member 10 is formed with a straight vertical wall 111, forming the front longitudinal wall of said throat and extending downwardly a distance into and forming a portion of the front wall of said trough.

In operation, the header rod is inserted into the forming trough a, and the operating shaft 3, is turned to bring the radially projecting stop finger 32, rigid with the left hand pinion 30, opposite the outer side face of the gear 51, so as to hold the header rod against outward longitudinal movement in the trough while the metal sheet to be operated on is inserted in the header rod groove 50. While the parts are in this adjustment with the header rod groove open at the top portion of the rod, the operators holding the sheet to be operated on in an upright po sition insert the lower edge of the sheet into the groove 50, and while the sheet is held in this position the gear 52, is applied to the header rod and into mesh with the opposing pinion 30. The operators, while holding the sheet to be operated on in the upright position, rotate the drive shaft by means of the crank handles 81, in a direction to turn the edge of the sheet on the header rod and in the trough counterclockwise Fig. 5, (or clockwise according to the arrangement of Fig. 8. The header rod is given one complete revolution to form the closed head on the edge of the sheet, and then the gear 52, is removed from the header rod so that the beaded edge of the sheet can he slipped longitudinally from the header rod and trough. In forming the head, the first portion of the revolution of the header rod will throw the edge portion of the sheet against the straight fiat wall 111 and will bend the sheet to form the inner angular edge of the head, that is the portion within the groove 50, whereby the sheet is gripped to or by the header rod so that the continued movement of the rod will draw the sheet down the straight wall 111, and along the curved inner surface of the trough, turning the sheet metal on the rod to form the complete bead. By forming the trough or cylinder with an entrance throat to one side of the vertical plane of the center or axis of the trough and having a straight guide wall merging gradually and without angles into the curved wall of the trough, in connection with the upwardly curving under face of the overhang 110 we are enabled to operate on comparatively thick or heavy sheet metal, for instance, 011 metal as heavy as 22 gage, and form heads in one operation. Our device forms the head edge and then turns the metal to form the bead, thereby avoiding the necessity of first forming the edge by various devices and then placing the material having the edge so formed in a header to form the head, as has been generally necessary heretofore when operating on comparatively heavy material.

A bushing of the same contour as the forming trough a, but of smaller dimension, can he placed inside the trough or cylinder whenever it is desired to form a head of a smaller diameter, and it is for this purpose that the movable die member 11, is provided, as it is only necessary to loosen or shift the relative positions of the die members when a bushing is to he placed in or removed from the trough.

The work guiding vertical wall 111, at its lower portion gradually merges into the curved wall of the trough and thereby guides and directs the sheet metal to the header rod, causing it to adhere or conform thereto and preventing heavy sheet metal from springing away from the surface of said rod, while the overhang 110, not only maintains the header rod and head down in proper position in the trough in completing the formation of the head, but the reduced or upwardly curved or rounded under edge portion of said overhang permits the metal of the completed head to slightly open or spring from the rod whereby the head can he slipped longitudinally from the trough and header rod without removing the header rod and without releasing or opening the die members.

We employ an actuating shaft provided with pinions and meshing with gear wheels on the header shaft in order to attain the necessary power for operating on heavy sheet metal, and thereby attain certain material advantages in heading machines designed for operating on heavy material although the machine is also capable of handling light and medium weight material.

It is evident that various changes and modifications might be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention and hence we do not wish to limit ourselves to the exact disclosure hereof.

hat we claim is 1. In combination, in a heading machine, a base provided with an upwardly extending longitudinal fixed die member, a movable die member parallel therewith and slidable on the top face of said base toward and from the fixed member and normally fixed with relation thereto, the adjoining vertical faces of said die members having portions overlapping to prevent independent vertical movement of said members, horizontal bolts from said fixed die member passing loosely through said movable die member and sleeves and nuts on said bolts for clamping the movable member to the fixed member to form a bead forming trough, an operating shaft carried by said base and having end gears, a removable beader rod arranged in said trough and having end gears normally in mesh with said shaft gears, one of said beader rod gears being removable, substantially as described.

2. In a beading machine, in combination, a base provided with a fixed die member, a movable die member parallel with said fixed member and movable laterally toward and from the same and normally fixed with respect thereto, means for removably and normally fixing said members together in operative relation, the adjacent longitudinal portions of said members being longitudinally recessed to constitute a beadforming trough having a contracted tangential entrance throat when said members are secured together in operative relation, one of said members having its said longitudinal recess forming a Vertical approximately straight wall constituting one wall of said entrance throat and merging downwardly into a laterally curving wall forming a portion of the curved floor and side surface of said trough, the other member having its said recess transversely curved and forming the remaining portion of the curved floor and opposite side surface of the trough with a longitudinal overhang projecting toward said vertical wall and forming the opposite wall of said throat and at its under surface curved laterally and upwardly in continuation of the curved inner side surface of the trough, and means for drawing the work down said vertical wall and around in said trough and up under said overhang, substantially as described.

3. A beading machine forming trough provided with a top entrance throat to one side of the longitudinal center of the trough and at the receiving side of the trough having a vertical work-engaging wall at its lower portion gradually merging into the lower portion of the curved wall of the trough, and on the opposite and finishing side of the trough having a permanent topoverhang forming the top curved Wall of the trough and at its undersidecurving upwardly and outwardly in continuation of the interior curved surface of the trough, in combination with a longitudinally-removable beader rod in said trough under said permanent overhang and having end gears at least one of which is removable, and an actuating shaft parallel therewith and having gears in mesh with said beader rod gears, substantially as described.

4. A beading machine forming trough provided with a contracted top entrance throat Z), to one side of the longitudinal center of the trough having a vertical tangential work guiding wall 111, at the receiving side of the trough and gradually merging into the curved wall of the trough, and with a permanent top overhanging 110, at the finishing side and over the longitudinal center of the trough and fixed with respect to said wall, in combination with a longitudinal-removable beader rod in said trough and under said overhang.

5. In a heading machine, in combination, a base, die members thereon forming a bead forming trough, a longitudinally removable beader rod arranged longitudinally in said trough and provided with end gears, at least one of said gears being removable from said rod, an actuating shaft carried by said base and parallel with said rod and having gears adapted to mesh with the gears of said rod and providedwith a radial stop arm projecting from the side face thereof and rigid therewith and adapted to engage the outer face of one of said beader rod gears for the purpose substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

HERMAN METZ. EDWARD J. BOWLES. Witnesses:

J. E. VvI-IITEMAN, F. B. HARMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. G. 

